We are going to go over the way we divide, but I want you each to think about the way you would tell a new friend about division.

Turn to your partner and pretend they know nothing about division. How would you tell them about division? What would you say if they got confused. Tell them what it means.

After students share I invite groups up to write their definitions on the board and explain it to their classmates. I think it is very important for students to share their thinking with one another so it helps other students’ better grasp the concept in “kid friendly” terms (MP3)

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I have a lot of division problems that I was thinking that I need your help with today! You’re going to have to use each other’s definitions of division to help you problem solve and find a solution to the problems we have!

While students are working independently it's important to be circulating the room and leaning in asking students questions about their work. I pull my on-the-spot data from the work the students are doing at that time. Problems I am looking for: students who are multiplying, adding or subtracting, students who can not explain what the problem is asking them to do and students who can not create a model to match the problem. If the problem can be easily corrected with some 1on1 time and work with me, I work with the student at their table. Sometimes the amount of students or the degree of the misconception or misunderstanding would warrant pulling a small group.

Proficient students are sufficiently familiar with tools appropriate for their grade or course to make sound decisions about when each of these tools might be helpful, recognizing both the insight to be gained and their limitations.

Similar Lessons

Big Idea:
After partners have worked with each other and have some practice creating arrays, it is time to challenge them to define the concept demonstrated by an array and how it can be used to solve problems.